Routine electrocardiogram and medical history in syncope: a simple approach can identify most high-risk patients

Syncope accounts for 3–5% Emergency Department visits and for 1–6% of urgent hospital admissions each year.1 In the USA, between 1 and 2 million patients are evaluated annually for syncope. Despite the updated clinical guidelines and the development of diagnostic algorithms over recent years, the cost associated with hospitalization and clinical management of syncope is still overwhelming.